Demand surges as computing power infrastructure is put into place
Intelligent computing accounts for more than 30% of the national scale, and the national integrated computing system is steadily advancing.
Recently, several digital infrastructure projects have been accelerated, with intelligent computing centers becoming a key focus. Construction or operational deployment of these centers is underway in Beijing, Sichuan, Ningxia, Henan, and other regions. The latest data reveals that China’s computing power infrastructure development has reached a leading global position, with intelligent computing power accounting for over 30%.
The reporter learned that several regions and departments will continue to optimize the layout of computing infrastructure in the coming period. They will increase the supply of high-performance intelligent computing power and enhance computing services, further catering to the development needs of artificial intelligence applications and accelerating the construction of a national integrated computing system.
In early July, the Tianfu Intelligent Computing Southwest Computing Center officially commenced operations in Chengdu, Sichuan. Reports indicate that the center will leverage computing power to support Chengdu in establishing a multi-billion-yuan core artificial intelligence industry. This initiative will enable artificial intelligence innovation in fields such as industrial manufacturing, natural sciences, biomedicine, and scientific research simulation experiments.
This development is not an isolated instance. In the past month, the Yinchuan Green Intelligent Computing Center projects have been launched. Beijing Mobile has established the first large-scale integrated training and push intelligent computing center in Beijing to support the training and reasoning of large models with high complexity and high computing requirements in the tens of billions and hundreds of billions. The Zhengzhou Artificial Intelligence Computing Center has commenced construction with a total investment exceeding 1.6 billion yuan. New digital infrastructure, exemplified by intelligent computing centers, is witnessing an acceleration in its construction and implementation.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on July 15 revealed that as of the end of May, 460,000 new 5G base stations had been constructed nationwide. Over 10 intelligent computing centers with high-performance computer clusters were planned, and intelligent computing power accounted for more than 30% of the total computing power.
“The explosive growth of applications like artificial intelligence large models has resulted in a surge in demand for intelligent computing power.” Shan Zhiguang, director of the Information Technology and Industry Development Department of the National Information Center, stated in an interview with the Economic Information Daily. He emphasized the rapid development of intelligent computing, designating it as the fastest-growing type within China’s computing power structure. Large models are the most significant consumers of intelligent computing power, accounting for nearly 60% of the demand. It is projected that China’s intelligent computing power will experience a 33.9% annual compound growth rate by 2027.
With the escalating demand for intelligent computing power, various stakeholders are actively deploying strategies to enhance the supply capacity of intelligent computing power. A relevant official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently stated that they will reinforce leadership in intelligent computing and optimize the computing power structure. They aim to actively promote the construction of artificial intelligence computing architecture and software ecosystems, accelerate breakthroughs in several iconic technical products and solutions, and encourage collaborative efforts to explore novel models for the construction and operation of intelligent computing centers.
Furthermore, numerous regions have issued specialized plans, defining their construction goals for the next several years and enhancing support measures in technology, application, funding, and other aspects. For instance, Jiangsu has unveiled a dedicated plan for the development of provincial computing power infrastructure, targeting an exceeding of 50 EFLOPS (EFLOPS signifies 100 trillion floating-point operations per second) in total computing power employed within the province by 2030. The proportion of intelligent computing power is anticipated to exceed 45%. Gansu has proposed providing policy support for the new computing power network infrastructure, encompassing aspects like land use, municipal supporting facility construction, talent acquisition, and funding.
Industry experts believe that the innovative development of computing power infrastructure holds the potential to drive the growth of digital economy-related industries and inject fresh momentum into economic expansion. Relevant research indicates that for each 1 percentage point increase in the computing power index, digital economy and gross domestic product (GDP) will experience respective increases of 3.3‰ and 1.8‰.
It is noteworthy that in alignment with the deployment outlined in this year’s Government Work Report to “moderately advance the construction of digital infrastructure and accelerate the formation of a national integrated computing power system,” various stakeholders are exploring computing power interconnection while solidifying the foundation for computing power development.
On July 11, China’s inaugural public computing power interconnection platform was unveiled. The platform aims to identify, register, and test computing power resources nationwide. Through this platform, computing power resources and associated computing power scheduling services across the country can be queried, providing real and reliable computing power support across all sectors and accelerating the advancement of computing power interconnection.
The National Data Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other relevant departments have also expedited their deployment efforts. These efforts encompass the construction of a national integrated computing power system that is interconnected, dispatchable, universally accessible, green, and secure. The focus is on optimizing the backbone network architecture around national computing power hub nodes, establishing a high-speed computing power network, and amplifying the empowering and support role of new information infrastructure in enabling the digital transformation of the economy and society. Additionally, they are cultivating a cohort of competitive computing power service companies and creating a nationally unified computing power service market.
Yu Xiaohui, president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, posits that the next step involves strengthening top-level design, studying and formulating guiding opinions and implementation guidelines for computing power interconnection, facilitating pilot demonstrations, and coordinating the construction of a multi-level computing power interconnection platform. Simultaneously, it is essential to accelerate standard development, establish a comprehensive computing power interconnection standard system, guide industry norms construction, and leverage standards to propel technological innovation and industrial practices.
Shan Zhiguang emphasized the importance of focusing on the development and business needs of the artificial intelligence industry. He advocated for constructing intelligent computing centers at computing power hubs and areas boasting strong artificial intelligence development foundations, employing an intensive, standardized, efficient, and environmentally friendly approach. Through strategic layout, cloud sharing, computing network integration, and efficient scheduling, they can achieve moderate and advanced development of intelligent computing resources. Concurrently, they should foster an industrial ecosystem of coordinated development encompassing investment, construction, operation, management, and utilization. This will lead to continuous improvement in the utilization rate of intelligent computing resources, drive the sustained decline of intelligent computing costs, and effectively harness the “universal benefit” and “universal wisdom” embodied by intelligent computing. (Reporter Guo Qian, intern Zhu Yuying)
Demand surges as computing power infrastructure is put into place
The scale of intelligent computing accounts for more than 30%, and the national integrated computing system is steadily advancing.
The Rise of Intelligent Computing Centers
The demand for intelligent computing power is soaring, driven by the explosive growth of applications like AI big models. The rapid advancement of intelligent computing is evident in the increasing number of intelligent computing centers being built across China. These centers are crucial for supporting the development and deployment of AI applications in various sectors.
A Growing Infrastructure
Recent months have witnessed significant investment in intelligent computing center infrastructure. Notable projects include:
- **Tianfu Intelligent Computing Southwest Computing Center** in Chengdu, Sichuan, supporting the development of a large AI industry.
- **Yinchuan Green Intelligent Computing Center** projects in Ningxia.
- **Beijing Mobile’s large-scale integrated training and push intelligent computing center** in Beijing, supporting complex AI model training and reasoning.
- **Zhengzhou Artificial Intelligence Computing Center**, with a total investment of over 1.6 billion yuan.
These initiatives reflect a nationwide push to strengthen computing power infrastructure and position China as a global leader in intelligent computing.
Intelligent Computing: A Key Driver of Growth
The National Bureau of Statistics reported that as of the end of May, China had built 460,000 new 5G base stations and planned over 10 intelligent computing centers with high-performance computer clusters. Intelligent computing currently accounts for more than 30% of the total computing power in the country.
“The explosive development of applications such as artificial intelligence big models has led to a surge in demand for intelligent computing power.” Shan Zhiguang, Director of the Information Technology and Industry Development Department of the National Information Center
Shan Zhiguang further emphasizes the rapid growth of intelligent computing, particularly driven by the significant demand from big models, which account for nearly 60% of the demand for intelligent computing power. Forecasts indicate a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 33.9% for China’s intelligent computing power by 2027.
Government Support and Industry Collaboration
Recognizing the importance of intelligent computing, the Chinese government is actively promoting its development. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is leading the charge by strengthening leadership in this area, optimizing the computing power structure, and actively promoting the construction of AI computing architecture and software ecosystems.
Various regions are also stepping up their efforts. Jiangsu, for instance, has outlined a plan to increase its total computing power in use to over 50 EFLOPS, with a target of exceeding 45% of intelligent computing power by 2030. Gansu has also announced policy support for computing power network infrastructure, covering aspects like land use, municipal infrastructure, talent acquisition, and funding.
The Benefits of Intelligent Computing
The innovative development of computing power infrastructure is expected to drive growth in digital economy-related industries and stimulate economic expansion. According to research, every 1 percentage point increase in the computing power index corresponds to a 3.3‰ increase in the digital economy and a 1.8‰ increase in GDP.
Building a National Integrated Computing Power System
In line with this year’s Government Work Report, which emphasizes the moderate advancement of digital infrastructure and the acceleration of a national integrated computing power system, significant efforts are being made to interconnect computing power across the country.
A key development is the launch of China’s first public computing power interconnection platform. This platform will identify, register, and test computing power resources nationwide, enabling easy access and efficient scheduling of computing power resources, ultimately fostering a unified computing power service market.
The Future of Intelligent Computing
The future of intelligent computing in China is promising, with continued emphasis on its development and integration. Key priorities include:
- **Strengthening top-level design:** Formulation of guiding opinions and implementation guidelines for computing power interconnection.
- **Accelerating standard construction:** Creating a comprehensive computing power interconnection standard system to guide industry norms and drive technological innovation.
- **Building efficient and green computing centers:** Ensuring efficient and sustainable development and operation of intelligent computing centers across the country, focusing on cost optimization and resource utilization.
- **Developing a vibrant industrial ecosystem:** Fostering collaboration and innovation among stakeholders involved in computing power investment, construction, operation, management, and utilization.
These initiatives will collectively contribute to the rapid advancement of intelligent computing, unlocking its immense potential to drive technological innovation, economic growth, and social progress in China.
